Skip to main content

Review: You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott



Blurb from Goodreads:
Katie and Eric Knox have dedicated their lives to their fifteen-year-old daughter Devon, a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful. But when a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community just weeks before an all-important competition, everything the Knoxes have worked so hard for feels suddenly at risk. As rumors swirl among the other parents, revealing hidden plots and allegiances, Katie tries frantically to hold her family together while also finding herself drawn, irresistibly, to the crime itself, and the dark corners it threatens to illuminate. From a writer with "exceptional gifts for making nerves jangle and skin crawl," (Janet Maslin) You Will Know Me is a breathless rollercoaster of a novel about the desperate limits of desire, jealousy, and ambition.
My Review:
 
In this book, we are thrown both into a mystery but also the world of elite gymnastics and I'm not sure which is more terrifying. I found myself immediately transfixed by the mystery and inability to truly know or understand a parent's utter and complete devotion to an elite gymnast -- you can't know it unless you live it. And yet, here, we get to live in this world where maybe nothing is as it seems. Although I figured out the mystery before it was revealed (but not early on), this was one instance where I wanted to be wrong. I just devoured this one, waking up early solely to finish the book within less than 24 hours -- I was thrilled, I was spellbound, my heart was racing and I loved it. How can we know what we would do in a situation until or unless we are in it?  And what would you do if you had given up your entire life for one thing and were on the precipice of reaching it? Such unknowable questions and, yet, you will know the feelings that such questions could elicit while reading this book. I also really liked that this was told completely from Katie's POV -- I wouldn't exactly call her an unreliable narrator and that was so refreshing.

You Will Know Me came out earlier this year on July 26, 2016, you can purchase HEREand I definitely recommend this one to thriller fans, especially if you have ever wondered about the life of an elite athlete/gymnast!  You will not be disappointed by this dark and thrilling entrance into that world!
There was a peculiar tension among the girls, all of whom wore the blank expressions and big eyes of figure in Keane paintings.  No one would listen to the substitute tumbling coach pitching in for Hailey or to the halfhearted drilling by Amelise.  
Girls kept falling.  Dominique Plonski rolled her ankle in the landing pit and limped off to her mother's arms.  
At the vault, Devon struggled with her Yurchenko, the first twist so painfully slow she couldn't make the second.  Foot hopping on the dismount, her face dazed and puzzled.

Comments

  1. This sounds so intriguing! Wonderful review, this is the first time I've heard of it but I'm totally curious about it now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't heard of this one, but I love gymnastics!! And I love books about the dark side of things we think of as fun and exciting. Glad you liked it :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have seen this around but honestly had no idea what it was about. It sounds awesome and love a good mystery (even if you figured it out). Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so intrigued by this one! I recently saw another great review for this book, which made me add it to my Interested shelf on GR. After reading your review, I bumped it up to my TBR! I love a good mystery and this sounds right up there. Great review!
    Genesis | Latte Nights Reviews

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've never heard of this book before now but wow, it sounds really good. I'm adding it to my list. Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yeah, parents get into it sometimes more than the kids. It can be scary in any sport. I'm always up for a good mystery/thriller!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can't even imagine the who and why of this one. From your quotes, it sounds like a coach was murdered. But why? Sounds like the author did a lot of research for this, too! Great review for a scary mystery!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've only read one by Abbott (Dare Me) and didn't like it at all so I'm hesitant to try something else by her... but this does sound really intriguing. Gymnastics is one of the very few sports that interest me (and the only sport I watch all of during the Olympics). Maybe it's worth giving Abbott another try. So glad you enjoyed this one!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm a Huge Fan of Megan Abott, so I been waiting for reviews of this to see how people loved it. She's able to capture the nastiness of adolescence so well.
    Tori @ In Tori Lex

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's disturbing how people can become so entrenched in competition that they'd resort to murder to win. They become fanatical! Like that Tanya whats-her-face (can't remember her last name right now, lol) and Nancy Kerrigan! I'm hoping the murderer isn't part of the family, but it does seem like it. Nice to hear you enjoyed this so much, Eva! I'll have to check it out. You know I love a good mystery! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Excellent review! I've been curious about this one so it's good to see a review for it. I'm glad you liked it and that probably means I would too. I'm bumping this up on my wishlist. :D

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I love this trope, sub-genre, setting: My Best Friend's Brother/My Brother's Best Friend

I Love This Trope, Sub-Genre, Setting is a new feature on my blog in which I discuss a trope, sub-genre or setting that I love and tell you about books that are shining examples of said trope, sub-genre or setting.  Feel free to play along and please let me know about your favorite books in this realm and whether you like this trope, sub-genre and/or setting as much as I do! Today I am spotlighting the trope of:  My Best Friend's Brother/My Brother's Best Friend , which I would define as any book where the heroine either has a crush on or falls for her brother's best friend or her best friend's brother. I have to confess that I love this trope in nearly all of its iterations!  I have a younger brother so I never got to crush on any of his friends but it's fun reading about that and it's equally as fun as reading about falling for your best friend's brother -- instant sisters!  I know there are a ton

Conversations With Myself (& Hopefully You): ARC Greed

This discussion is inspired by my feelings lately when reading and reviewing ARCs versus the feelings I had when I requested those same ARCs: ARC GREED ARC greed -- have we all experienced this?  What I even mean by this term is that I sometimes feel overwhelmed when looking at Netgalley and Edelweiss and  I sometimes over-request, if only because I can!  I get greedy when I see all the new and shiny ARCs available and I will sometimes request things that have even a hint of interest for me, not necessarily focusing only on those books that I really, really want.  The problem with this over-requesting and with getting greedy with requesting (and receiving) ARCs is when it comes time to read and review these ARCs.  Last month and this month, I have looked at my ARCs with a release date in each respective month and I just haven't wanted to read any of them.  I need to start asking myself -- If I was immediately approved for this ARC, would I read it right thi

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

Top Ten Tuesday  is hosted by the fab ladies at  The Broke and the Bookish ! What books are you anticipating for the rest of this year?